Federal court reverses Michigan law that banned race-based admissions

A federal court today overturned an amendment to the Michigan state constitution that forbid universities from considering race when admitting students.

The amendment, enacted by voters in 2006, was in response to a ruling three years earlier by the U.S. Supreme Court that had upheld the University of Michigan's race-based admissions policy. Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor was the provost at Michigan at that time and helped the university win that case.

Since then, Cantor has said universities need to be able to consider race in admissions. Cantor and Syracuse City School District Superintendent Sharon Contreras were among 17 individuals and groups who filed a brief last month in the latest university affirmative action case to reach the Supreme Court, Fisher v. University of Texas. The court heard oral arguments in that case Oct. 10, and has not issued a ruling.

In today's split decision on the Michigan amendment, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-7 that the constitutional amendment is unconstitutional because it "reorders the political process in Michigan to place special burdens on minority interests."